Our flower power era of the swinging sixties, saw great use of bold colour which was also probably reflected in the flowers and arrangements of the time.

Her research so far has led to the understanding that carnations, chrysanthemums, daisies, lilies, gladioli and roses were the main flowers grown for the cut flower market but she is trying to get confirmation that sunflowers and gerberas were also grown for commerical cutting.

As many of our commercial flower farms have been handed down through the generations, it is quite likely that some of them were in existence during the 1960’s.

Any help she can get with reference to colours and flower types will be much appreicated and you can add your thoughts via the comments box at the end of this article.

For many years, the UK has been watching the decline of it’s flower farms, wholesalers and florists, as supermarkets source their flowers from abroad but the Wiggly Florist is bucking the trend.

San, Heather and Hannah with the three sizes of bouquet.

There is no doubt that consumers have become more aware and interested in where their flowers are coming from. Sometimes they are interested in supporting local farmers, sometimes they would like to reduce the amount of air miles.

The argument about carbon footprint and the importance of global trade will continue to be debated, but the last survey estimated that less than 10% of flower sales in the UK were actually grown here, so it’s good to see the consumer redressing the balance.

In the last year, Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Daglad reported that exports to the UK were down 20% and in times of recession, luxury products such as flowers are vulnerable. However, sales of Wiggly Flowers increased by 10% this year and were particularly strong at Christmas.

Wiggly Wigglers sources it’s flowers from their local wholesaler who is tasked with the challenge of buying British grown product. On top of this the Wiggly gardens at Blakemere produce their own crop of sunflowers, herbs and extras, whilst sourcing their foliage from less than 2Km away, alongside a network of British flower farmers.

Many UK customers are starting to appreciate traditional blooms such as stocks, phlox, delphiniums, sunflowers and pussy willow and florists are looking to Valentines Day, Mothering Sunday and Easter to sustain the upturn for the British grown flower market.

The Good Life Made Easy
From growing vegetables and planting wildflowers, to floristry that doesn’t cost the earth, plus a great range of composters and much more…..Wiggly Wigglers have all the goodies that any budding Tom or Barbara could ever need and even a few eco gifts to help convince Jerry and Margo too!